Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call

Thank you, LCWR, for helping us create new harmony for the life of the world

What a difference 15 years make!

Confidently, I walked into the huge ballroom at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida, for the 2026 assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), celebrating its 70th anniversary. I knew exactly where to find my table, although it took me a while to get there. Along the way, I greeted women I had come to know, respect and love during 15 years of elected leadership.

It became clear to me as the assembly unfolded that the theme of the event, “Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call,” was perfect for my last assembly as an elected leader and reflected my own journey over these past 15 years.

I had not been thinking much about my first LCWR assembly in 2011, until one day during our table discussion, a sister said, “I believe what brought us together in a very dramatic way was the apostolic investigation of religious life and the Vatican’s assessment of LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).”

Reminders of past Assemblies

Immediately, flashbacks to those early days of attending LCWR assemblies occupied my mind as I remembered the angst in the room and in our collective heart.

Those tensions came to a boiling point at the August 2012 assembly, following the CDF’s April 2012 report calling for revisions to LCWR’s statutes and programs. This came in the midst of the apostolic visitation of U.S. women’s religious communities that had begun in 2009.

What transpired in that year and in the years that followed, eventually bringing those investigations to a peaceful conclusion, was a profound lesson in dialogue. It showed me that working together in right relationship is essential to bringing about God’s kindom here and now.

As the LCWR leaders of that time relayed later, “They learned to lead through deep spiritual grounding, patience, and communal discernment rather than reacting with anger or polarization.”

The 2026 assembly confirmed that. The event opened with a video message from Pope Leo XIV. Hearing Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, speak about the synodal process was a major focus of our time together. With her guidance, we experienced synodality firsthand as we sought to engage the topic of “Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call.”

A Need for Difference to Create Harmony

Once again, I found myself experiencing the very thing I had learned over the past 15 years: unity does not require uniformity. It requires listening, discernment, patience and a willingness to make room for the gifts of others.

For me, the subject of the presidential address by Vicky Larson, PBVM, was especially meaningful: “Harmony for a New Era: Listening to Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call.”

“We have the opportunity to create music together none of us could compose alone,” Sister Vicky said. “The Spirit is drawing us into a shared rhythm — not a uniform sound, but a courageous weaving of our distinct charisms into a living, evolving symphony.”

The notion that we need difference to create harmony has lingered with me since the 70th anniversary assembly ended. Perhaps this is one of the gifts I take from these 15 years of leadership: I have come to understand more deeply that unity is not sameness, and harmony is not agreement on every note. Harmony requires attentive listening so that our voices can blend. As Vicky described it, it is a harmony of intention, where different voices align around a shared purpose rather than becoming identical.

The past 15 years have been an incredible journey for U.S. Catholic sisters as we have opened ourselves to a deeper sense of belonging to one another and to sisters and brothers around the world who share a common purpose—responding to the Spirit who calls us all to life in God.

Many charisms. One Spirit. One call. And, together, a new harmony for the life of the world.

Thank you, LCWR, for helping us create it.